


and i think to myself (what a wonderful world)

by roses36



Series: the big three [1]
Category: Basketball RPF
Genre: Bittersweet, Fluff and Angst, Kinda, M/M, M/M/M, Songfic, and sings, but i couldn't resist oops, but timmy is there, do people even read these tags, don't worry nothing important happened between 2010 and 2016 lol, even though i can't write smut, i cried when i came up for the idea with this, i didn't proofread this, i never proofread, it all goes downhill from here, it's mainly tony/manu, it's sad af actually, kill me, manu plays guitar, many feels, there wasn't gonna be smut, this is def my best fic, who am I kidding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 11:49:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roses36/pseuds/roses36
Summary: manu plays the guitar. tony reminisces.





	and i think to myself (what a wonderful world)

He looks out of the window of the house that almost seems like his own at this point, bags at his feet. Sitting on the arm of the couch, the breeze comes in through the open windows. Manu always insisted on having the windows open, even in the intense heat of the San Antonio summer. It’s quiet besides the rustling leaves on the trees outside and the thoughts inside Tony’s mind.

The silence is broken by the strumming of a guitar. Manu would play occasionally, usually when Tim would invite some of their teammates over to his place; Tony has great memories of sitting in Tim’s backyard, fire crackling and Manu’s soft guitar.

He makes his way over to the bedroom where Manu sits on the edge of the bed, looking out of the patio door out into his backyard. He’s just strumming at first, before he seems to settle into an actual song. Tony recognizes it immediately- it’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow. He didn’t even know Manu knew that song, and it wasn’t like Manu knew many songs. Even if he did, he’d been hearing them for sixteen years.

Tony stands in the doorway with Manu’s back to him; he still hasn’t noticed his presence. He starts singing, those ‘ooo’s at the beginning of the song, and Tony remembers how he once said he would never sing any of that “nonsense stuff” in songs because it made him “sound like an idiot.” It’s been a while since Tony heard him sing, actually try. He forgot how much he likes it.

**_“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,”_ **

After all of these years, the accent is still present in Manu’s voice as he begins to sing the words to the song. Tony remembers reading somewhere that after a certain age it never goes away entirely. There’s that undeniable  _passion_ in his voice too, that  _thing_ which is just so Manu it makes his heart hurt.

**_“And the dreams that you dreamed of, once in a lullaby.”_ **

_“I always wanted to be a basketball player, but I never thought I’d make it all the way here, y’know?”_

_It’s Tony’s sophomore season and Manu’s rookie, and they’re the only ones currently awake. Stephen Jackson threw a huge party at his house, and everyone had either left or passed out at this point. It was just Manu and Tony, sitting on the couch in Stephen’s dark living room. They’re both a little drunk and they’re both a little tired, but it’s nice just to talk in the quiet._

_“And I mean, it’s nice not having to be “the guy” here. I know my role. And everyone is so nice, supportive, right?”_

_“It’s all Timmy,” Tony points out, looking at Manu, “him and Pop. They're calling it the 'Spurs Culture' or whatever.”_

_“I’m pretty sure Pop hates me,” Manu griped, “and Tim doesn’t even talk to me.”_

_“It’s because you’re a rookie, man,” Tony laughs, playfully shoving his teammate on the shoulder, “it’s not personal.”_

_Tony smiles up at him, but it’s clear that Manu seems bothered by it. Pop was pretty harsh on him, but could you blame the man? Manu was just so… un-Spurs-like. Reckless. Wild._ Manu. _Even though Manu’s a solid five years older than him, and it’s still his second year, he still feels the need to act like his vet. He knows what it’s like, coming over from Europe. Fucking terrifying. He remembers how many times he doubted himself, wondered if it was the right decision to come over. And yeah, he remembers Pop yelling at him_ constantly,  _and even though he saw him do it to everyone, it still felt like he was picking on The French Kid. And he remembers desperately trying to get the approval of Tim Duncan, and wondering why he just ignored him every time._

_He pulls the older man down into him, rubs his shoulder reassuringly. “He didn’t talk to me either,” he whispers into his hair. “But I’m here for you. We can be here for each other, right?”_

_“Yeah,” Manu whispers, “that’s right.”_

**_“Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.”_ **

_“I wish I was a bird,” Tony remarks, looking out of the plane window._

_“Then you wouldn’t be the best basketball player,_ pendejo.  _” Manu leans over to see out the window as well, practically on top of Tony._

 _“Get off of me,” Tony says, making no actual effort to get Manu off of him, “and I looked it up, and_ pendejo  _isn’t offensive in Argentina.”_

_“I know that.” He gets back into his seat; they’re too high in the air to actually see any part of New Jersey, “I learned the hard way that it means anything at all when I called some Mexican guy’s kid one.”_

_Tony laughs and shakes his head, looking back out the window._

_“Why would you want to be a bird anyway?”_

_“Because then I could fly anywhere in the world,” he replies matter-of-factly, “duh.”_

_“I don’t know if you know this,” Manu says, “but we’re rich. You can already fly anywhere.”_

_He turns fully to face Manu, who has a smirk on his face. “I don’t think it’d be the same though. That freedom, right?”_

_He stares at Tony for a second, as if trying to come up with another response (he referred to them as “witty”; Tony just called him a smartass). When he can’t think of anything, he just shrugs and says “I guess.”_

_“Well, what do you wish you were, Manu Ginobili?” He smirks right back at him._

_He opens his mouth, response ready, before closing it. His expression suddenly turns very serious. He looks at the smaller man, who is confused at Manu’s sudden change of tone._

_“I don’t wish for things,” he says, looking down and entangling his fingers in Tony’s, squeezing them, “I make them happen.”_

_Neither of them move for what seems like forever. The entire plane is oblivious to it, but it’s like all the oxygen has been sucked out._

_Manu looks back up at Tony, smiling at him shyly, and it’s like the Manu he first met is here again, and Tony smiles back._

**_“And the dreams that you dreamed of, dreams really do come true.”_ **

_It’s only a week later that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are NBA Champions._

_Of course, it’s Tim who is the Finals MVP, and when he arrives in the locker room everyone goes crazy, showering him in bottles of champagne. He makes his way over to where Tony and Manu are, grabbing Tony around the shoulders and pulling the guard into him, shaking him lightly. They laugh and Tim turns to Manu, grabbing him the same way and pulling the two of them into a bear hug. He whispers something to Tony before letting both of them go._

_The two look at each other, and Tony can see the joy in his eyes, and it has nothing to do with the fact that they just won the Finals._

_“What did he say to you?”_

_Tony can’t help but smile back at Manu. “He told me to tell you good game. And you don’t need me to tell you that that means a lot more than ‘good game’.”_

_The celebration continues. Larry eventually makes his way over to the two. Tony holds him at the base as a camera comes over to the two. Manu holds up his champagne and flashes the camera a smile while Tony kisses the trophy. They eventually hand him off as Manu grabs Tony and leads him out of the locker room._

_“Manu, what are you doing?” Tony asks as Manu leads him further down the hallway, looking both ways for any of their teammates or, God forbid, cameras. When the coast is clear, he pushes Tony against the wall, cupping his face with both hands and kissing him._

_Tony doesn’t respond at first; he’s in shock really. Does he have a… thing for Manu? Well, yeah. He always did. He was tall, he was cute, he was funny and charming. And he obviously knew Manu had a thing for him after he grabbed his hand on the plane (how juvenile does that sound?). But it still comes out of nowhere._

_Manu notices that Tony isn’t responding to him and pulls away, searching his face for a reason. The confusion and hurt is evident on Manu’s face._

_“You taste like champagne,” Tony remarks, as he snakes his arms around Manu’s neck and pulls him down for another kiss._

**_“Someday I’ll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me.”_ **

Tony makes his way into the room, sitting down to the right of Manu. He looks over to Tony and stops playing. He has a look on his face like a kid who got caught jerking off or something. Tony silently curses at himself; he was fully expecting Manu to stop when he walked in, and he really didn’t want him to. But surprisingly, Manu just grins at him, and not the million-dollar Manu Ginobili smile, the genuine one usually reserved for just him and Timmy, and resumes playing, looking straight ahead out the glass door again.

**_“Where trouble melts like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops that’s where you’ll find me.”_ **

_There’s no fucking way that Derek Fisher got that shot off. It’s impossible. Who can shoot in 0.4 seconds? Nobody. The clock started late. The league would do_ anything  _to keep the Lakers on top. First Sacramento, now San Antonio. They all knew it was bullshit._

_They’re all in Timmy’s room in Los Angeles, not saying a word to each other. Manu’s curled into Tim, his head on the forward’s chest, probably asleep. Tony stares at the ceiling, letting Tim rub circles into his shoulder with his thumb._

_“We’ll get them next year,” Tim says, breaking the silence._

_“But we should’ve had them this year,” Tony sighs, “and you know it.”_

_“Look on the bright side, we won last year. We’re one of the best teams in the league, playing under one of the best organizations in the league. We’ll still be good next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.”_

_Tony opens his mouth to argue, but he can’t. He’s too tired._

_“And you have us.”_

_He really can’t argue against that. He lets Tim’s warmth and Manu’s soft snores lull him to sleep._

**_“Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.”_ **

Manu’s beautiful. Always was, still is. Every time the thought crossed Tony’s mind, it just seemed weird, calling a man beautiful. But there was something about Manu that made the word appropriate. He never really liked to use words like that in general. With women, you had to, but men were less likely to care. Tim wasn’t big on the compliments either, not like Manu.

He allows himself to admire the older man. He’s hunched over the guitar, concentration etched on his face. Obviously, Father Time wasn’t very kind to his hair, but he’s let his beard grow out more than during the season. He hates when he shaves his head and his beard at the same time (he'll never admit it, but he loves the scratch of Manu's beard on his face), but Manu still does it. He always loved how Manu was taller than him, another thing that was pretty rare to find in women. And there’s always that  _aura_ he has about him, that just permeates everything around him, that always makes Tony’s heart hurt, even after all these years.

**_“And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why, can’t I?”_ **

_Tim was right; they got them next year._

_Manu fucking killed it all year, killed it all series, all seven games. It was probably the hardest basketball he’d ever played. Between the Pistons being the defending champions and them playing just_ hard  _all series, it was a ride._

_When the buzzer sounds game seven at the SBC Center, he’s ecstatic. When they’re standing on the stage at the trophy presentation, listening to David Stern talk, he looks across the stage at Manu and he’s even happier. Manu looks right back at him, the Argentine flag wrapped around his waist. When they call Tim’s name, announce that he is once again the Finals MVP, he applauds along with his teammates and the entire arena, even though they all know it should be Manu, even Tim. But it doesn’t matter, because they’re all champions all the same._

_The guys are all going out to celebrate, Tim included, because the Finals MVP can’t ditch his own celebration. But Manu and Tony can, and they do._

_They’re barely inside Tony’s place before Manu’s hands are everywhere and his mouth is all over Tony and Tony tangles his hands in Manu’s hair that he always tells him is too long but it’s not, it’s just right and Manu leads them to the bedroom because he’s here almost as much as his own house and Tony’s in love, it’s there with Manu all over him and Manu inside him when he realizes he’s in love._

**_“Well I see trees of green and red roses too”_ **

_“What is this supposed to be?”_

_“It’s a nature park, Tony, didn’t you read the sign?”_

_“Obviously I read the sign,” he says, taking in his surroundings, “but why are we here?”_

_It really is beautiful. The trees, the flowers planted around the edge of the pond,_ ~~_Manu. He desperately needs a haircut and also needs to shave, but it suits him well._ ~~

_“It’s a date. You’ve never been on one?” Manu looks at him, rolling his eyes as they walk down the path._

_“I mean, you’ve never taken me on a date.”_

_Manu pauses, and a look of realization comes across his face. “You’re telling me we’ve never been on a date?”_

_Tony shakes his head at the man. “Should we have been?”_

_Manu takes a deep breath as he sits on a bench along the trail, gesturing for Tony to sit down next to him. Tony doesn’t really know what Manu’s problem is, why he’s so distressed over the simple fact that they’ve never been on a date._

_“Tony,” Manu starts, looking at him, “what are we?”_

_Tony doesn’t know how to answer. In fact, that’s a question he’s been avoiding for going on three years now. How are you supposed to rationalize the fact that you and your best friend routinely kiss, cuddle, and fuck, and not call that a relationship? Not to mention your other friend that also routinely gets in on the action. Do you even want to go down that road?_

_“We’re Manu and Tony.” is the only answer he can give, as he reaches for Manu’s hand and squeezes it._

_Manu ponders this for a second. “Well, we’re going on a date then. As Manu and Tony.”_

**_“I’ll watch them bloom for me and you”_ **

_They’re in the middle of a six-game win streak and they feel great. Tim invites some of the guys over: Brent, Rob, Bruce, and of course Manu and Tony are in Tim’s backyard. It’s a chilly day in December- well, as chilly as it gets in San Antonio, and Tim’s got a bonfire started._

_Manu’s playing the guitar. The other guys didn’t even know Manu could play the guitar at all. Tim and Tony did, of course, as Manu would often play when it was just the two of them. He was really self-conscious about it at first, so to see him play for the guys, Tony can tell Tim is glad, and so is he._

_After the guys are all gone and it’s just the three of them, Manu’s playing slows into just soft chords instead of any songs in particular. As the fire dies out, he sets the guitar down and makes his way over to where Tim and Tony are._

_“Are we just going to sit out here? It’s freezing.”_

_“It’s not even that cold,” Tim says, “and you’re not supposed to leave a fire just out.”_

_“He’s right,” Tony says, freezing and practically in Tim’s lap, “do you always have to play by the rules?”_

_“Fine,” he huffs, standing up and pulling Tony along with him._

_“Watch my house burn down.”_

_“You worry too much,” they both say._

**_“And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”_ **

_“You know how lucky we both are?”_

_They’re both just sitting in Tim’s house. Tim’s not even there; he said he’d be by “eventually”, whatever that means._

_“Lucky for what,” he asks, running his fingers through Manu’s (slowly but surely diminishing) hair, “that we got bounced out of the playoffs fast for an early vacation?”_

_“Can you be serious for a second? Think about it- you barely get drafted in the first round, I barely get drafted at all, and we both happen to get drafted to a team that competes every year.”_

_“Please,” Tony rolls his eyes, “like you’re ever serious.”_

_He sits up and kisses Tony, who lets his eyes close and Manu’s tongue slip into his mouth._

_“Y’all really have to do that there?” Tim asks, walking in and setting down groceries._

_They both turn to look at the taller man who just walked in._

_“I was just showing Tony what he has to feel lucky for,” Manu says, walking over to Tim and kissing him. Tony gets up right behind him and kisses Tim as well._

_“What, you jealous, Timmy?”_

**_“Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white”_ **

It’s nice out. He takes a break from just staring at Manu to appreciate it. The sun is bright, cartoon-like clouds in the sky. He remembers lying on a grassy hill with Manu, just looking up at the clouds. God, that was so many years ago. They’ve been together for  _so many years_ that just sitting here, thinking about what seems like a  _lifetime_ together with Manu, with the man in question sitting right next to him, it makes him want to cry. And Timmy. He loved Timmy too, they both did. The lump in his throat swells so large he can barely breathe.

**_“And the brightness of day,”_ **

_They’re at a club in Cleveland and Manu’s got at least five women around him. Tony could get women too, but it was less of a him-thing and more of a Tony Parker-thing. He should be better at it, a French thing, but women dig the Spanish thing too. High off the Finals win, Manu practically lights up the place. The smirk, the snarky comments, the whole swagger about him, it makes women go completely nuts. It works on Tony, too._

_Tony was never really completely sure on Manu’s sexuality. He talked about women before, and he always says how it’s “fun” to make them fall all over him, so he’s pretty sure he’s bisexual. Knowing Manu, if he asked him he’d give him no answer, so he doesn’t even bother._

_He says something else that makes all the women laugh, and he flashes his smile, the one specifically designed to get people to fall all over him, because that’s Manu, and that’s what he does, and from across the way he catches Tony’s eye and fucking_ winks  _and it makes Tony weak, too._

**_“I like the dark,”_ **

_Manu fucks like he plays. He’s all over the place, all fire and chaos and just reckless abandon but at the same time he’s always in control, he always knows what he’s doing, and Tony trusts him._

_As soon as they walk in the door of Manu’s hotel room Tony’s shoved up against the door by him. He attacks his mouth, biting and sucking and Tony already feels like he’s drowning, he’s drowning in the scent of perfume and sweat and_ Manu  _and he loves it. Manu makes his way to Tony’s neck, biting and sucking and definitely leaving marks because that’s what he loves to do, he loves to take control and make things his own._

 _Both of his hands are on Tony’s hips now, moving his shirt up and over his head. He makes his way down Tony’s chest and on to his knees, biting and sucking and letting his hands wander. One moment his touches will be feather light, almost tickling him and the next he’s biting him_ hard  _and it makes Tony’s head spin all the same._

_Manu pulls his pants and boxers down at once, kissing at Tony’s inner thighs and Tony can’t take it anymore, pulling at Manu’s hair. Manu lets out a little whine that Tony knows he didn’t mean to and it’s so fucking hot, and when Manu finally takes him into his mouth Tony just about loses his mind, and he knows for a fact that Manu gets off on that, gets off on the way he makes other people feel and not the other way around._

**_“And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”_ **

He wants to just stay here forever with Manu, here with the breeze coming in through the windows and the guitar and the soft singing and the warmth that he only feels in moments like these, moments where it seems like the entire world is just gone and it’s just him and Manu. It’s the little things that take him out of the moment, like the furious beating of his heart and the tears in his eyes threatening to spill over and the thought of how intertwined with Manu he is that he doesn’t think he can ever untangle himself from him.

**_“The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of people passing by.”_ **

_“You look good.”_

_They’re going out to celebrate Manu being named Sixth Man of the Year; they’re going to some steakhouse, meeting Tim there. It’s apparently fancy as hell, so they’re dressed up._

_“I’m getting old.”_

_“For Christ’s sake, Manu, you’re barely even 30,” Tony reassures him, fixing the collar on his jacket, “you’re younger than Tim and you’re not that much older than me.”_

_“I had a full head of hair three years ago. Who the fuck goes bald in their 20s?”_

_Tony huffs. He wants to tell Manu that that's literally the average age that people go bald at, but he knows he won't take that for an answer, so he just rolls his eyes and pulls him down for a kiss._

_“Who cares? You look great to me, and who else matters?”_

**_“I see friends shaking hands, saying ‘how do you do?’. They’re really saying ‘I love you.’”_ **

Tony’s not sure when they became what they are now.

It’s like he’s been through different lives, different iterations of himself. There’s the Tony before the NBA, the kid from France, and he’s not even sure that Tony was ever real, it’s like that was a dream that it’s hard to tell if it happened or not. Then there’s Tony Parker, Point Guard for the San Antonio Spurs.

And then there’s the Tony that’s in conjunction with Manu, “Manu and Tony” like he told Manu,  _God, that must have been 13 years ago,_ in that park. They’ve been back, many times.

He knows when he finally realized that he had fallen for Manu. He could even Google the date if he really wanted to. But still, he doesn’t know when all of  _this_ had happened. Exactly when he knew Manu had fallen for him, exactly when they went from friends to some convoluted form of friends-with-benefits to maybe-boyfriends-kinda to… this.

Manu is an enigma, always has been, always will be. Whenever he thinks of the older man, so many different  _memories_ and  _feelings_ come to mind that it’s almost like he’s lived through different lifetimes of Manu as well.

There’s the shy kid from Argentina, brand new to the NBA, terrified of the world. The one who he felt for, because he had been in his position just a year before. The one who was all smiles and quietness. The one who grabbed his hand on the plane to New Jersey like they were kids in the lunchroom at school. The one who kissed him so softly in the hallway of the SBC Center all those years ago that it was suffocating. The one who moved so slowly the first time they had sex that Tony wouldn’t even recognize him as the same now. Underneath it all, there was that fire, that fury that was so typical Manu. The wariness didn’t last very long. Sometimes Tony misses it.

Then there’s Manu the superstar, with all the swagger and energy that someone who is on top of the world should have. Because that’s what he was. On top of the world. He was a rockstar, like Timmy once said in an interview. The laughter, the smiles, the smirks, the loudness. He was in everyone’s face. He craved attention,  _got off on it_ , and God damn he was good at getting it. He was  _edgy,_ is the only way to describe it. They’d go out and he’d make it his goal to have as many eyes on him as possible. They’d be at practice and he’d try to make himself the star of the show, throwing flashy passes and pulling off impossible layups, pissing Pop off to no end, and sending him and Tim a smirk and a wink. It was only when they were alone, or with Tim, when he’d soften, take it down a notch. He’d become more soft spoken, let his accent slur his words together. He’d talk about some conspiracy theory, or something he read. He’d actually read a lot. He’d play the guitar a lot, even when no one was listening. He’d say he wanted to watch a movie and then fall asleep halfway through. He’d whisper terms of endearment into his ear at night, usually in Spanish. It was that Manu that he completely fell in love with.

Then there was the Manu that was terrified of getting old. Terrified of beginning the inevitable decline of his career, even though he was still playing great. The Manu that would freak out at every ache and pain, convinced that it was the end for him. He didn’t let it show very often, but it was there, plain as day to him and Tim. Tim would tell him that it was fine, that there was nothing to worry about.  _“Jesus Manu, you’re 33, not 53, chill out, you’ll kill yourself from stress.”_ Tony would always just try to change the subject. He was just as flashy as ever on the court, but off the court he simmered down. He was a veteran now, they all were. He didn’t need to prove himself to everyone anymore. New players would come to the team and just know to respect the three of them. Everyone knew his name. He wasn’t the second-round pick by the Spurs out of Argentina anymore. He wasn’t Manu Ginobili, the up and coming superstar on the Spurs. He was just Manu Ginobili, the established player, one of the best sixth men of all time, cornerstone to the San Antonio Big Three, the dynasty. And it’s not like his ego was put in check because of that. It just made things easier for him. He still knew he was the shit, and he still loved it.  

Then there’s this Manu. The Manu that everyone knew was a first ballot hall of famer. The Manu that would mentor all the new guys coming in, along with Tony and Tim before he retired. The Manu that was practically Spurs royalty, and everyone in the locker room knew it. This Manu knew Tony so well that they would just sit in silence, not saying a word to each other, and somehow just know what the other was thinking.  _“Like an old married couple,”_ Tim once remarked, and they both just smiled at each other. He still had that fire inside him, the permanently lit one that made him the Manu Ginobili that Tony loved. But he wasn’t the Manu that would go out and put on a show every night. And Tony didn’t mind that. Manu was exhausting, especially when he was younger. He still was, with all the snide remarks and lack of impulse control that he  _really does need._

He still doesn’t know what their relationship is. That’s a whole other beast entirely. They love each other. They know that. But they haven’t ever gone past that when discussing the matter, not since that summer day in 2005. And there’s also Timmy. They loved Timmy, and they certainly loved fucking Timmy, but it was different than their relationship. There was always that element of fear to it, too. Fear of getting caught, traded, or, hell, one of them leaving. Even though it’d never happen, an unspoken promise, they’d have to retire eventually. Tim did. And who knows where their lives would take them?

They never talked about it, but maybe they should have. Because Tony knows he can’t live without Manu, and that terrifies him.

**_“I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,”_ **

_“Have y’all ever thought about having kids?”_

_They’re watching the Western Conference Finals, secretly cheering for the Lakers, as much as the thought disgusts them. It’s not like they can cheer for Phoenix, who had swept them the round before (_ “Took them long enough,” Manu commented after the game, “how many years has it been that they never got past us?”  _), and it’s hard to impartially watch a basketball game, so they had no other option._

_“I don’t think that that’s physically possible for us, Tim.” Manu laughed._

_“I’m serious,” Tim says, turning the volume down, “have you?”_

_Tony hasn’t, actually. He always thought that he was too young for even thinking about kids. But Tim and Manu are both older than him, and the thought occurs to him that he’s 28 years old, a perfectly reasonable age for having kids._

_“I mean, who hasn’t?” Manu says, playing with the drawstring on his sweatpants, “But like I said, it’s not really an option.”_

_Would Tony have kids ever? He tries to picture himself as a father, but he can’t. Because that either implies himself without Manu, or as_ something  _with him, and neither seem feasible._

_“Why not?” Tim asks him, and Manu goes silent. The game comes back on._

**_“They’ll learn much more than we’ll know”_ **

Manu learned how to play the guitar when he was 14. His grandfather taught him, and from then on he fell in love with it. He’d use it to get girls, because of course he did. He never let it let on to his family that he actually liked it on its own merit, but he did. He’d never sing to anyone, not seriously, until he was 18. When he left Bahia Blanca to play overseas, he didn’t take it with him, and he missed it. The first purchase he made when he came over to San Antonio was another one.

Tony heard the stories so many times, of the songs his grandfather initially taught him, the ones he taught himself, how he would listen to them over and over until he had them perfect. Of how he got his first girlfriend by playing her a song he heard she liked. About how he would play it quietly by himself, because he was embarrassed (for some reason). About how he really loved the music, almost as much as he loved basketball. And Tony knew it was true, because he watched the passion that came off of him as he played.

Tony knows so much about Manu, every detail of him, but at the same time, he’s still clueless. Every time he thinks he has the man figured out completely, he does something unexpected. Something completely out of left field. But hey, he wouldn’t be Manu otherwise, now would he?

**_“And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”_ **

_They’ve done this more times than they can count, but it’s different this time. Because they’ve just lost to the Thunder, 67 wins and they can’t even make it to the Conference Finals. Because this was probably their last chance at a title. With Tim._

_Everyone has left the locker room already. The lukewarm water washes over the three of them. A certain somber mood hangs over the scene, but at the same time it doesn’t matter._

_Manu’s on his knees before Tony, sucking at him. Manu’s always been amazing at giving head, and he’s seemingly only gotten better with age. Behind him Tim enters him slowly, starting a steady rhythm, and despite it all, Tony’s in heaven._

_Tim’s broad hands roam his torso, and Manu’s hands wander up and down his legs, sore from the game. He never used to hurt after games like this. He doesn’t remember when it changed._

_Manu takes his mouth off of Tony, much to the shorter man’s chagrin, instead electing to kiss Timmy. Manu reaches between them and takes both of them into his hand, finishing them off that way. Tim isn’t too far behind._

_Afterward, all three of them go into Tim’s room, not really caring what their teammates or anyone else thinks because they’re pretty sure they all have caught on by now and all three of them lie down together, knowing all too well it may be the last time. Like this, anyway._

_“I love you guys,” Tim says in the silence, “you know that, right?”_

_Manu nods, curling against Tim like he always does. Tony nods, too, and looks up at Tim. Tim’s crying, and he’s pretty sure that he is too, and Manu might be, and they all just lie there, taking in each other’s warmth that is still present in spite of it all._

**_“Someday I’ll wish upon a star,_ **

**_Wake up where the clouds are far behind me._ **

**_Where troubles melt like lemon drops,_ **

**_High above the chimney tops,_ **

**_That’s where you’ll find me._ **

**_Oh, somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,_ **

**_And the dreams that you dare to, why, oh why, can’t I?”_ **

As Manu finishes out the song, Tony tries to stop the thoughts swirling around his mind. Tries to just appreciate Manu as he is, here in front of him. But he can’t. How can he?

The song winds down and Manu sets the guitar on the floor to the left of him, at the foot of the bed. He looks over at Tony, eyes glassy, like he was doing exactly what Tony was throughout the song.

He leans forwards and cups Tony’s face with both hands, like he always does. When their lips meet, there’s a definite dampness on his face, and he’s not sure of the origin. Manu’s beard scratches his face in the way that he loves and he deepens the kiss, and soon enough all of their thoughts melt away, and suddenly they’re young again, back in a time where Manu had more hair and Tony had more speed and neither of them had aches and pains and none of them feared what the future had to hold and if they did they always had Timmy to fall back on, infallible Timmy.

Manu pulls away and just looks at him, moving his other hand to interlock his fingers in Tony’s own, keeping the one on his face. He rubs at his cheek, wiping away the tears that likely came from the both of them.

“You’re staying, right?”

It was a question that was asked every time any of them were entering free agency, or were up for a contract extension, or there were trade rumors. And with Tony, the answer was always  _yes, of course, why would I be going anywhere else, where else would I even go._ Those were the answers that Tim and Manu always gave, too, until the later years of Tim’s career, where it’d always be met with a soft smile and a shrug, and until last year, when Manu just kissed him.

“Are you?”

Manu withdraws his hands from Tony then, as if he was burned, clearly taken aback at the response. His assured expression quickly dissolves into one Tony hasn’t seen in years; the one of the scared kid, the one Tony hates, and it makes his heart shatter into a million pieces.

Manu sighs and stands, pulling Tony up with him and into a tight hug.

“I love you so much,” he whispers, voice breaking, resting his head on the top of Tony’s.

“I love you too,  _mon cheri,_ you know that.”

“No, listen to me,” Manu tightens his grip on the smaller man, “I love you. More than anything.”

And Tony understands now. Because Manu needs him just as much as he needs Manu, and he’s openly crying now, and he never wants to let go of Manu, never wants to leave his embrace, and he doesn’t know if he can ever leave Manu’s side, he doesn’t even know what he is without Manu anymore.

The next day he signs with Charlotte.

**Author's Note:**

> i listened to this version of the song on loop while writing this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzsgYSUBQ8A
> 
> on a side note, i'm literally in love with manu. manu was so hot from like 2002-2007. like long haired manu was daddy asf. 2003 manu? cute asf. 2004 manu? gold medal babe? 2005 MANU??? HOLY FUCK! 2006 MANU? WITH THE BEARD AND SHIT??? 2007 manu?!??!? WHOM TF IS LEBRON JAMES IDK HER CUZ MANU COOKED THE CAVS. 2008 manu??? 6th man of the year but number 1 in my heart. 2009? 2010? 2011? WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE FACT HE WENT BALD STILL A DILF. 2012??? 2013??? DO I NEED TO MENTION 2014 WHEN HE DUNKED ON CHRIS BOSH??? OR 2015 WHERE HE DIDN'T REALLY DO MUCH BECAUSE HE'S OLD ALSO 2016 AND 2017 BUT HE DID BLOCK HARDEN THAT SHIT HAD ME MOIST. DO YOU REMEMBER 2018 FIRST ROUND GAME 4 MANU?!?!?!?! FUCKING MANU GINOBILI!!!!!


End file.
